"You're okay? Is there someone you know in the stands?" Oswin asked, scanning the rows of seated spectators.
"Kind of. But from this distance, I can't make out whether it's really him. Maybe I'm mistaken," Winston replied.
Shaking his head, Winston gestured toward the rest of the team.
"C'mon. Let's join the others."
The warm-up drills commenced, but Winston could already feel the overwhelming pressure coming from the rival club's supporters. He should have been accustomed to it by now, but Arlesey Athletic F.C.'s Under-21 stadium was different.
It was their fortress. The Arlesey Athletic F.C. Under-21 Stadium was regarded as one of the largest stadiums in the Under-21 league, with a capacity of around eighty thousand spectators. The sheer size of the venue made the roar of the home supporters feel even more intimidating.
To make matters even more convenient for the teams, the hotel where Winston and his teammates were staying was directly connected to the stadium. A passageway at the rear of the hotel led straight into the stadium grounds, meaning the players didn't have to travel far to reach the pitch.
Even so, as Winston looked toward the packed stands, the distance between the hotel and the stadium suddenly felt meaningless. Thousands of fans were here. And they were all waiting for the same thing.
[User daily challenge]
[Call for the ball: 25/0]
[Deadball goals: 2/0]
[Make assists: 5/0]
[Acquired Skills]
[Activated skill: Dead ball]
After a few minutes, the youth players emerged from the tunnel. A deafening roar erupted from the stadium as the fans welcomed their team, eager to see them fight for the third spot in the league table against Westminster F.C.'s under-twenty-one side.
When the first whistle blew, Arlesey Athletic F.C. started the game. Their formation was an aggressive 2-1-3-4, with the twins, Darwin and Noah, leading the attack and Duke positioned as the supporting attacking midfielder. The formation allowed them to maintain intense offensive pressure while still retaining a solid defensive structure.
Arlesey exchanged quick passes, attempting to draw the Westminster players out of position. Winston and Maximilian were the most susceptible to their tactics, while the other Westminster players remained disciplined, holding their positions and tracking the ball from a distance.
The two twins had already pushed deep into Westminster's defensive line. One of Westminster's defensive midfielders was marking Duke, while Maximilian and Winston chased the ball as the Arlesey players continued their tiki-taka.
Before leaving the tunnel, Winston had made sure to activate his Dead-Ball skill. His plan was simple: score first, then focus on completing the assist challenge. The challenge never specified that the player he assisted had to score, so he figured he could work on both objectives during the match.
He still relied heavily on Oswin to provide him with passes. The only thing worrying him was his Dead-Ball technique. His form was still terrible. The skill had only worked consistently when he wasn't dribbling the ball. So far, it seemed to work best during penalty kicks.
Then one of the Arlesey players took one touch too many. Winston immediately saw his opportunity. He burst forward. Thanks to his improved pace and speed, he quickly outmatched the youth who had been controlling the ball. Winston stretched out his leg and intercepted it, sending the ball away from the crowded midfield.
He was suddenly running alone through the center of the pitch. The Arlesey players reacted immediately. Several rushed toward him, attempting to shield the ball and cut off his route. Winston pushed forward, stretching his legs to keep the ball within reach.
Oswin and Maximilian were already sprinting up in support. For a moment, Westminster had the numbers. But Arlesey's formation reacted like clockwork. The instant Winston drew several defenders toward him, an opening appeared elsewhere.
An Arlesey midfielder wasted no time exploiting it. He received the ball and immediately played it toward Duke. Duke sprinted forward. He stepped over one of the Westminster midfielders before spotting an opportunity on the left.
He played the ball forward. Darwin was already racing down the left flank. He tapped the ball ahead of him and accelerated, while Westminster's left-back moved in the opposite direction, attempting to cut off his path. Darwin approached the goalkeeper from the left side.
He slowed for a fraction of a second, adopting a shooting stance. But instead of shooting, he drove a low cross across the face of goal. Noah was already there. The twin stretched out his leg, ready to meet the ball.
Thwack!
The move was swift and meticulously executed. The entire crowd erupted in celebration Duke's specialty was something else entirely. His passing was so precise that even defenders struggled to predict where he would send the ball. The only exceptions were the twins. Darwin and Noah barely needed to communicate with him; they simply pointed toward the space they wanted him to play the ball into, trusting Duke to deliver it.
Darwin, in particular, was exceptional with his speed and ball control. Unlike his twin, he was more of a wide player, operating much like a traditional winger. He enjoyed drifting into wide pockets of space, stretching the defense and creating openings for his teammates. Noah, on the other hand, played with far more freedom. He could operate inside the box, drop deeper, or move into wider areas whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Winston was different from all three. His strengths were still developing, but his long-range shooting and Dead-Ball skill gave him an unpredictable edge. He had even managed to make the skill work while dribbling, although his technique remained far from polished.
As the game resumed, Westminster decided to play it safe. They had seen how quickly Arlesey could build an attack, and they weren't going to make the same mistake twice. For nearly a minute, Westminster patiently passed the ball among themselves, refusing to rush forward.
Maximilian was heavily marked by two defensive midfielders, leaving him with little room to turn. Winston found himself in a similar situation. Every time he attempted to make a dynamic run, an Arlesey defender followed him closely. Oswin was facing the same problem on the opposite side. Still, Winston dropped deeper to receive the ball.
They've really studied us.
The moment Winston received possession, an Arlesey player was already on his heels. He passed the ball away before the defender could close him down. The Core System suddenly appeared in his vision.
[Ball Received: 1]
Winston blinked. A few seconds later, another pass came his way.
[Ball Received: 2]
They're not just marking me. They're tracking every time I touch the ball.
Winston glanced across the field. Oswin received the ball.
Immediately, two Arlesey players converged on him. The same thing happened with Maximilian. Every time one of Westminster's key players received possession, an Arlesey youth was already closing them down. Their opponents hadn't simply studied their formation. They had studied them individually.
[Call for the ball: 09/25]
As the ball Oswin had called for approached him, he performed a dummy run, drawing the midfielder toward him. At the last moment, he redirected the ball precisely through the midfielder's legs before sprinting alongside him.
Oswin looked up and saw Winston pointing toward the space ahead. Winston cut inside, stepping over the left-back's attempted challenge. The defender stuck out a leg, trying to shield the ball, but Winston managed to get around him. Oswin watched as the ball rolled toward the touchline.
Before it could go out for a throw-in, an Arlesey youth recovered it and immediately passed it toward Duke, who was positioned in the center of the field.
The moment the ball settled at his feet, Duke flicked it over the approaching Westminster defensive midfielder with a perfectly executed sombrero. Without breaking stride, he turned and sent a high through ball toward Arlesey's right midfielder.
The midfielder controlled it with his chest. As the ball dropped to his feet, he immediately sprinted forward, with the Westminster players closing in on him like quicksand. Realizing he had nowhere to go, he turned around and passed the ball backward.
For the first time, it seemed as though Westminster had found their rhythm. During this stretch of play, only Maximilian, Winston, and Oswin were actively pressing and tracking the ball. The rest of the team concentrated on maintaining their defensive shape, refusing to be dragged out of position.
The two teams continued exchanging possession, neither side willing to give the other an opening. The battle dragged on. Forty-five minutes. Then two more minutes of stoppage time.
Fweeeet! Fweeeet!
The referee's whistle finally pierced through the deafening roar of the stadium. Several Westminster youths reacted with visible relief as they headed toward the tunnel. The sheer volume of the home supporters had rattled some of them. They had never experienced this level of support before, and the atmosphere inside the stadium had been overwhelming.
Winston, however, barely noticed the crowd anymore. A small, translucent window from the Core System flickered in front of his eyes.
[Call for the ball: Completed]
His eyes widened. He had done it. The Call for the ball challenge was complete.
Instead of feeling relieved after completing the challenge, Winston was overwhelmed by another realization. How am I supposed to complete the harder tasks when they're marking me this tightly?
Before he could think any further, the twins brushed past him, one of them bumping his shoulder hard enough to nearly throw him off balance.
"Tsk. Move, you trash. Your coach should've kept you on the bench," Darwin sneered.
"Tell him, brother. He should've stayed in the senior reserve. This league is for talented players, not some half-assed, talentless trash."
Winston said nothing. He simply kept walking.
"You should retire and stop wasting our time!" Darwin yelled after him. "You're making the youth league look like an amateur league!"
Winston clenched his fists. For a moment, he wanted to turn around and punch the twins. Instead, he inhaled slowly. Then exhaled. Not worth it.
He continued walking without looking back. Meanwhile, the Westminster head coach was disappointed with how his team had performed during the first half. He had seen enough. It was time to switch to Plan B.
He changed their formation to a 4-2-3-1. The new system gave Winston and Oswin greater freedom to drift between the wide areas and the central attacking midfield position. With another attacking midfielder supporting them, Westminster could effectively overload the attack while maintaining two players in front of the defensive line.
It was an aggressive adjustment. The coach knew the extra attacking player left them vulnerable through the middle, but he considered the risk acceptable. Arlesey had the advantage, and he expected them to become more conservative during the latter stages of the match. Westminster needed to force them out of their comfort zone. Seated on the bench, Winston clasped his hands together and twiddled his thumbs.
My speed...
Despite all the points he had invested into his speed, it wasn't helping him as much as he expected. His legs still felt as though they were filled with cement. Even before the match had started, something had felt strange. His legs had been throbbing—not with pain, but with a strange sensation, almost as if his muscles were shifting beneath his skin.
At the time, Winston had assumed his body was simply beginning to loosen up. Now, he wasn't so sure. The head coach's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Okay! Go out there and play like your life depends on it!"
The Westminster players emerged from the tunnel with renewed determination. Under the new formation, Winston was positioned wider on the right. It wasn't because he was faster than Darwin. In fact, Darwin's explosive agility was still superior.
Rather, the coach had noticed something during training. Winston was exceptionally good at making sudden, short cuts behind defenders. If he couldn't outrun them over long distances, he could still catch them off guard.
The first pass came to Winston. He immediately sent it toward Maximilian. Maximilian returned the ball while Winston slowly worked his way beyond the defenders.
Then Maximilian received another pass. This time, he sent it toward Winston. Winston exploded into a sprint down the right flank. Three Westminster players were already moving into the box, waiting for his cross.
Winston planted his foot and lifted his leg. He wanted to send the ball high and deep into the penalty area. But his limbs felt heavier than before.
His body refused to respond as quickly as he wanted. A sliding Arlesey defender read the attempt perfectly and stretched out his leg.
Thud!
The ball ricocheted off the defender and went out for a corner. Oswin jogged toward the corner flag to take it. Winston positioned himself just outside the box, hoping a loose ball would fall his way.
Oswin raised his hand. Then delivered the corner. But instead of sending it toward Winston, he aimed for Maximilian. Maximilian rose above the defenders and headed the ball toward goal.
CLANG!
The ball struck the post with a metallic ring before bouncing away. Winston's eyes widened. So close...